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Side-by-side financial comparison of Best Buy (BBY) and MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC (MSM). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Best Buy is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($9.7B vs $965.7M, roughly 10.0× MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC). MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC runs the higher net margin — 5.4% vs 1.4%, a 3.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (4.0% vs 2.4%). MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($7.4M vs $-287.0M). Over the past eight quarters, MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC's revenue compounded faster (0.6% CAGR vs -18.7%).
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebranded under its current name with an emphasis on consumer electronics in 1983.
MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc (MSC), through its subsidiaries, primarily MSC Industrial Supply Co., is one of the largest industrial equipment distributors in the United States, distributing more than 1.5 million metalworking and other industrial products.
BBY vs MSM — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 2026 vs Q1 2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $9.7B | $965.7M |
| Net Profit | $140.0M | $51.8M |
| Gross Margin | 23.2% | 40.7% |
| Operating Margin | 2.0% | 7.9% |
| Net Margin | 1.4% | 5.4% |
| Revenue YoY | 2.4% | 4.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | -48.7% | 11.1% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.66 | $0.93 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $9.7B | $965.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.4B | $978.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.8B | $971.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $13.9B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $9.4B | $928.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.3B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $8.8B | $979.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $14.6B | $935.3M |
| Q4 25 | $140.0M | $51.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $186.0M | $56.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $202.0M | $56.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $117.0M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $273.0M | $46.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $291.0M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $246.0M | $71.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $460.0M | $61.8M |
| Q4 25 | 23.2% | 40.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 23.2% | 40.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 23.4% | 41.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 20.9% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.5% | 40.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 23.5% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 23.3% | 40.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 20.5% | 41.5% |
| Q4 25 | 2.0% | 7.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.7% | 8.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.5% | 8.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.6% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.7% | 7.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.1% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.5% | 10.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.8% | 9.7% |
| Q4 25 | 1.4% | 5.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.0% | 5.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.3% | 5.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.8% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.9% | 5.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.1% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.8% | 7.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.1% | 6.6% |
| Q4 25 | $0.66 | $0.93 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.87 | $1.02 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.95 | $1.02 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.55 | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.26 | $0.83 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.34 | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.13 | $1.27 | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.11 | $1.10 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $923.0M | $40.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $1.2B | $214.1M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $2.7B | $1.4B |
| Total Assets | $16.8B | $2.5B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.44× | 0.16× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $923.0M | $40.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.5B | $56.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.1B | $71.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.6B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $643.0M | $57.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.4B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.2B | $25.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.4B | $22.2M |
| Q4 25 | $1.2B | $214.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.2B | $168.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.2B | $285.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.2B | $289.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.2B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $299.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.2B | $294.5M |
| Q4 25 | $2.7B | $1.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.7B | $1.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.8B | $1.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.8B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.1B | $1.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.1B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.1B | $1.4B | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.1B | $1.4B |
| Q4 25 | $16.8B | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $15.3B | $2.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1B | $2.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $14.8B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $17.0B | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $15.6B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $14.8B | $2.5B | ||
| Q1 24 | $15.0B | $2.5B |
| Q4 25 | 0.44× | 0.16× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.43× | 0.12× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.42× | 0.21× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.41× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.38× | 0.21× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.38× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.37× | 0.21× | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.38× | 0.21× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $-99.0M | $29.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-287.0M | $7.4M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -3.0% | 0.8% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 1.9% | 2.3% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | -0.71× | 0.57× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.5B | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $-99.0M | $29.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $749.0M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $34.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.5B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-256.0M | $101.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $661.0M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $156.0M | $143.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.2B | $78.7M |
| Q4 25 | $-287.0M | $7.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $574.0M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $-132.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.4B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-449.0M | $81.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $478.0M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0M | $114.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $997.0M | $53.4M |
| Q4 25 | -3.0% | 0.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | -1.5% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 9.7% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -4.8% | 8.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.0% | 11.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.8% | 5.7% |
| Q4 25 | 1.9% | 2.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.9% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.9% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.3% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.0% | 2.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.0% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.7% | 3.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.2% | 2.7% |
| Q4 25 | -0.71× | 0.57× | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.03× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.17× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 13.14× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -0.94× | 2.18× | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.27× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.63× | 2.00× | ||
| Q1 24 | 2.57× | 1.27× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
